Lead Child Protection Practitioner

Salary £49,817 - £53,051 + a temporary 5% R&R allowance.

Who we are & what we stand for

Do you want to help make Gateshead a place where everyone thrives? If that sounds like you, keep reading - we might be the perfect match.

We’re delighted that you’re interested in working with us. You’d be joining us at a very exciting time.

We pride ourselves on our ambitious and forward-thinking approach to taking care of Gateshead and its people, and we passionately believe that our employees reflect that spirit in truly enabling Gateshead to thrive.

At Gateshead Council you’d be a highly valued member of a team that recognises and respects the skills that you bring to your role, encourages creativity and passionately advocates a great work / life balance. Our actions speak louder than words, and with flexi-time and hybrid working available across many of our roles, as well as a full suite of outstanding employee benefits, we’re confident that it isn’t just the salary that attracts our staff.

Be the difference - Join Our Multi Agency Child Protection Team

At Gateshead, we are ambitious for children and families.

As part of our implementation of the Families First Partnership Programme and the development of our Multi-Agency Child Protection Team, we are investing in a new generation of safeguarding leadership roles that strengthen decision-making, improve family participation and ensure children are safer for longer.

We are looking for experienced and highly skilled social work professionals to join us as Lead Child Protection Practitioners (LCPPs).

This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of child protection practice in Gateshead, influencing decisions at the most critical points in a child's journey whilst supporting practitioners, managers and safeguarding partners to achieve the very best outcomes for children.

Building safer futures through partnership and professional courage.

What you will get to do

The Lead Child Protection Practitioner is a specialist safeguarding leadership role providing expertise, oversight, challenge and professional support across Children's Social Care and the wider safeguarding partnership.

You will play a central role in strengthening the quality of safeguarding analysis and decision-making, ensuring that children experiencing, or at risk of, significant harm receive timely and effective protection.

Working within locality-based teams, you will:

• Attend and contribute to Strategy Discussions, providing expert safeguarding analysis and threshold advice.

• Facilitate Day 5 Reflective Reviews and Day 10 Decision-Making Checkpoints to strengthen professional analysis and collective decision-making.

• Meet with children, parents and carers before Initial Child Protection Conferences, helping families understand the process and supporting meaningful participation.

• Chair Initial Child Protection Conferences, ensuring robust, child-centred and evidence-informed decision-making.

• Provide oversight of Child Protection Plans, identifying drift and delay and ensuring plans remain focused on improving outcomes for children.

• Provide professional challenge, consultation, coaching and support to practitioners, managers and safeguarding partners.

• Contribute to quality assurance, service improvement, workforce development and safeguarding learning across the partnership.

Unlike traditional conference chair roles, this position combines oversight, leadership and meaningful engagement with families, practitioners and safeguarding partners. Gateshead's evaluation demonstrated that this hybrid approach strengthens safeguarding practice, improves workforce confidence and enhances family engagement.

Compassionate leadership. Robust safeguarding. Better outcomes.

What you will bring (Essential Criteria)

• A recognised Social Work qualification and registration with Social Work England
  
• Extensive experience of statutory children's social care and a proven track record of high-quality child protection practice.
• Significant post-qualifying experience within children's social care.
• Extensive experience of child protection investigations, risk assessment and safeguarding decision-making.
• The confidence to provide professional challenge and influence practice across a range of services and agencies.
• Experience of leading or chairing complex professional meetings.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to make defensible safeguarding decisions in complex situations.
• Experience of quality assurance, auditing, workforce development and service improvement.
• A full driving licence and access to a vehicle (or actively working towards this), alongside the ability to use systems effectively and manage performance, budgets and recording requirements

Most importantly, you will be passionate about safeguarding children, strengthening professional practice and ensuring that the child's lived experience remains at the centre of everything we do.

If successful you will have to apply for an Enhanced Disclosure

What’s in it for you

• Competitive Salary: We offer fair and transparent pay that reflects your skills and experience Salary £49,817 - £53,051 + a temporary 5% R&R allowance.
• Outstanding Pension Scheme: We don’t just offer a great salary – we invest in your future too. Find out what benefits a Local Government Pension provides: https://twpf.info
• Generous Annual Leave: Enjoy 28 days of annual leave, rising to 32 days after 5 years (2 of which can be fixed by the Council), plus the option to buy up to 10 extra days.
• Flexible Working Hours: Benefit from up to 26 flexi days per year (subject to business needs), giving you more control over your time.
• Hybrid & Flexible Working: We support a healthy work-life balance with flexible and hybrid working options.
• Learning & Development: Access a wide range of training, development, and progression opportunities to help you grow your career.
• Health & Wellbeing Support: From discounted gym memberships through our partner GLL to mental health resources, we care about your wellbeing.
• Cycle to Work Scheme: Save money and stay active with our tax-efficient cycle to work programme.
• Electric & Hybrid Car Scheme: Get behind the wheel of a brand-new electric or hybrid vehicle through our salary sacrifice car scheme in partnership with NHS Fleet Solutions – a cost-effective, environmentally friendly way to drive (after 12 months service).
• Exclusive Discounts & Salary Sacrifice: Through our VIVUP employee benefits platform, enjoy discounts on shopping, travel, and services – plus salary sacrifice options on white goods, electronics, and more, helping you spread the cost of essential purchases (after 6 months service).

Everyone's welcome here

Were an equal opportunities employer and aim to have a culture and a workplace where our people feel a sense of belonging, are respected and empowered to do their best work. At Gateshead Council we're an employer who embraces, and welcomes diversity, who's truly inclusive and who demonstrates equality for all. We'll go the extra mile so that our approach is representative of the communities we serve and each other. We welcome applications from suitably qualified people from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.

How to apply

You can apply online using the apply now button below. Within the form, you’ll be asked for details about you, your career history, skills, experiences and qualifications.

We advise you to be as detailed and specific as possible, paying particular attention to any of the above which are relevant to the role to which you are applying.

If you have any questions about your application, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our recruitment team via recruitment@gateshead.gov.uk

Please note: As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role. However, in high-volume recruitment situations, it may not always be practicable to interview every eligible candidate. In such cases, we may need to prioritise those who best meet the essential criteria, based on the information provided in the application.

Additionally, the Council reserves the right to close this vacancy early or adjust the shortlisting criteria, including the pass mark for interview selection, to ensure a fair and manageable recruitment process. We encourage early applications.